Dr. Liat Ben David

Director General, Davidson Institute of Science Education

An alumna of the Weizmann Institute, Dr. Liat Ben David has been a leading formulator of science education policy and a developer of STEM curricula, professional development, and infrastructure in both Israel and the USA, for over 28 years.  After earning her PhD in molecular biology in 1991 under renowned Weizmann Institute cancer researcher Prof. Leo Sachs, Dr. Ben David joined the Tel Aviv University School of Education, where she developed science curricula and leadership programs for elementary and middle school students and teachers. 

In 2001 she served as the Jewish Agency emissary in West Palm Beach for three years. Upon her return, she established the JDC-Ashalim Mayda Center for Knowledge and Learning for professionals working with at-risk youth. Between 2011 and 2017 she served as CEO of the Wolf Foundation, awarding the internationally acclaimed Wolf Prize, recognizing excellent scientists and artists worldwide, second only to the Nobel Prize. She joined the Davidson Institute of Science Education as its CEO in 2017.

Dr. Ben David is an accomplished author, with more than 20 textbooks published for teachers, students, and the general public in various fields of study, as well as a novel, short stories, and a weekly blog called “A Moment Before Shabbat” in Hebrew and English. She lectures regularly, both in academia and in TEDx frameworks. 

Dr. Ben David is married, a mother of three, and a grandmother of five.